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julio_9042
Participant
Oct 29, 2026 3:40 PM UTC
Question

Concern Regarding Goodstack's Classification of Civil Rights Nonprofits

Hello,

 

I'm writing to raise a concern regarding Adobe's nonprofit eligibility requirements and the verification process through Goodstack.

I work for the Equal Rights Center (ERC), a 501(c)(3) civil rights nonprofit based in Washington, DC. Our organization works to identify and eliminate discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations through civil rights testing, education, advocacy, and enforcement.

On November 2025, we applied for Adobe Acrobat Pro's nonprofit discount. Goodstack verified our nonprofit status and confirmed my association with the organization, but ultimately rejected our application because ERC was classified as a "Social Action" organization.

After contacting Goodstack for clarification, they explained that this classification does not meet Adobe's eligibility guidelines. They also mentioned that we could submit additional documentation to revise our classification, but that our application would remain ineligible as long as Social Action remained a suitable category.

What I find confusing is that Adobe's published eligibility requirements specifically recognize promoting human rights as a qualifying charitable mission. However, I couldn't find anything in those requirements explicitly excluding Social Action organizations.

Civil rights advocacy and enforcement are central to ERC's mission, and I don't believe our classification as a Social Action organization contradicts Adobe's stated criteria.

I'm hoping someone from Adobe can clarify whether Social Action organizations are explicitly excluded from the nonprofit program and, if so, where that restriction is documented.

I would also appreciate it if Adobe could review how these classifications are being applied, particularly to civil rights organizations whose work appears to align with Adobe's published eligibility requirements.

Thank you.

    5 replies

    Community Manager
    AnkitVermaCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 29, 2026 4:30 PM UTC

    Hi ​@julio_9042,

    Thank you for sharing the background and for explaining the situation so clearly. We understand why this would be confusing, particularly when your organization's mission appears to align with the charitable activities described in the nonprofit eligibility information.

    Adobe's nonprofit program applications are reviewed and validated through Goodstack, including the assessment of organizational classifications and eligibility criteria.

    We appreciate you bringing this situation to our attention. We'll make sure your feedback is shared with the relevant teams for awareness and review, as discussions like this help us better understand how nonprofit eligibility criteria are being interpreted in practice.

    In the meantime, we recommend continuing to work directly with Goodstack regarding the classification decision and any additional documentation they may be willing to review. You can find their support resources here: https://adobe.ly/4kl2VmD

    Thanks,
    ^AV

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    julio_9042Author
    Participant
    Oct 29, 2026 4:37 PM UTC

    Hi AnkitVerma

     

    Thank you for your response. I appreciate you forwarding our concerns to the appropriate team.

    The issue is that we've already contacted Goodstack, and they explicitly stated that our classification as a Social Action organization does not meet Adobe's eligibility guidelines.

    They also explained that even if we submitted additional documentation, our application would remain ineligible as long as Social Action remained a suitable classification.

    This is why I'm reaching out to Adobe. We're not necessarily disputing our classification, as civil rights advocacy is part of our work. We're trying to understand why that classification makes us ineligible when Adobe's published guidelines recognize promoting human rights as a qualifying charitable mission.

    Could you please clarify if Adobe specifically excludes Social Action organizations from its nonprofit program? If so, is this restriction documented somewhere?

    Having that clarification would help us determine whether pursuing a review with Goodstack would be worthwhile.

    Thank you again.

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    Community Manager
    Tariq Ahmad DarCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Oct 29, 2026 4:49 PM UTC

    Hi ​@julio_9042, 


    Thank you for the swift response. We will discuss this internally. Could you please provide the specific link or page that Adobe is referencing?

    Adobe's published guidelines recognize promoting human rights as a qualifying charitable mission.

    This will assist us in our internal discussion regarding this case.

     

    Thanks,

    Tariq 

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